Tag: Cabinet Office

The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 22 January 2024.

In his keynote address at the Institute for Government’s annual conference, the Minister for the Cabinet Office, John Glen, will outline his long-term priorities to modernise the Civil Service into a more productive institution so it can deliver stronger public services.

• Minister to outline value of Civil Service, with new measures to strengthen public sector delivery
• Reform will focus on investing in technology, reducing unnecessary process and supporting talent attraction, retention and reducing staff churn
• New line management standards across the Civil Service, underpinned by  reviewing staff performance management approach, to support career development and help tackle rare instances of unchecked poor performance or serious issues with agreed office attendance
• New guidance on staff networks will safeguard civil service impartiality, alongside review of network spending

In his keynote address at the Institute for Government’s annual conference this morning (Tuesday, January 23rd, 2024), the Minister for the Cabinet Office, John Glen, will outline his long-term priorities to modernise the Civil Service into a more productive institution so it can deliver stronger public services through three key priorities:

First, unlocking the transformative potential of new technologies such as A.I. by increasing our ambition on the pace and scale of digital transformation in government. Second, unlocking new ways of working by streamlining and simplifying how government operates. Third, leveraging workforce potential by addressing problems of talent attraction, retention and churn through a smaller, skilled workforce that is better rewarded, with stronger performance management.

The Minister will highlight new line management standards, underpinned by reviewing staff performance management across Government, building on the good practice in place across most of the Civil Service. Line managers will be supported to work with their teams to develop civil servants’ expertise and skills with a more consistent approach across departments, while also addressing rare instances of unchecked poor performance.

He will also make clear that he believes face-to-face working and making full use of Government offices are the right way to deliver for the taxpayer and develop new talent. Data from surveying 30,700 civil servants shows that ‘learning from others’ and staff interaction has consistently been found to be better supported in the office compared to at home.

Ministers will look at performance management guidance for senior civil servants to ensure that making full use of offices is factored into their yearly reviews.

Setting out the vital role the Civil Service plays up and down the country and emphasising the importance of ensuring it works as effectively and efficiently as possible, he will tell the audience that the Civil Service has to learn to do more with less.

He will also welcome recent successes like the £7.8 billion in efficiencies secured between 2020 and 2022 through central functional teams, like commercial, finance and project delivery – focusing on how to replicate these across the civil service.

Minister for the Cabinet Office, the Rt Hon John Glen MP said:

The Civil Service and the work it does impacts all of our lives in so many ways, we must therefore ensure it is fit for purpose for the long term, and delivers efficiently and effectively.

It is clear we have to do more with less. To do this, we must embrace new technology, empower those around us by working collaboratively in offices, and ensure performance management standards enable line managers to provide the best possible feedback and tackle consistent poor performance.

The Civil Service must adapt today to prepare for the urgent challenges of tomorrow. Our citizens deserve nothing less, and I know our committed civil servants are up for the challenge.

The Minister will also reaffirm the government’s long-term commitment to implementing cutting-edge new AI technologies across the organisation. He will endorse the development of bespoke AI products designed to eliminate unnecessary bureaucracy, improve the speed of public service delivery, and enhance how the government communicates with the public.

New guidance on civil service staff networks will also be issued shortly as part of wider plans to improve productivity and provide clearer advice on acting with impartiality in relation to diversity and inclusion.

The guidance will ensure civil servants have a better understanding of how best to balance staff network activity with their primary responsibilities and impartiality commitments under the civil service code.

The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 22 January 2024.

Government launches new Whatsapp Channel to provide helpful opt-in information to the public.

The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 18 January 2024.

The UK benefited from £830 million in the 2022-23 financial year delivering programmes and peacekeeping in more than 90 countries to bolster global security.

The Conflict, Stability and Security Fund’s (CSSF) investment delivers projects in Ukraine, Africa, the Indo-Pacific and the Overseas Territories among other places. Last year it more than doubled spending on cyber security programmes, with £25.5 million spent on the Global Cyber Programme, the Africa Joint Operations Against Cyber Crime and bolstering the cyber defences Georgia, Iraq and elsewhere.

The Cabinet Office-led CSSF tackles the greatest threats to UK national security emanating from overseas, especially conflict, transnational threats and hostile state activity. The 2022 to 2023 CSSF Annual Report reveals how and where it spent money to tackle these global security challenges, such as assistance to Ukraine following the illegal invasion by Russia and countering Russian disinformation on the invasion.

The CSSF also plays a key role in strengthening UK and international partners’ cyber security by strengthening their cyber defences and supporting their fight against cyber-crime. For example the CSSF has also funded programmes in the Indo-Pacific region, delivering cyber exercises in Malaysia, Indonesia, and Japan to help test their response to a major national cyber attack.

Through the CSSF, the UK established a Ukraine Cyber Programme, providing £7.3 million from the beginning of the invasion to March 2022. Following the IRR, funding for this programme will be increased by up to £25 million, including £16 million from UK funding, and potential for a further £9 million contribution from international allies.

Ukraine was the biggest single-state recipient of CSSF-funded Official Development Assistance, receiving £41 million, an increase from £23.5 million in the 2021 to 2022 financial year.

Cabinet Office Minister for the CSSF Baroness Neville-Rolfe said:

From the Balkans to Latin America, the Indo-Pacific and beyond, the UK’s Conflict, Stability and Security Fund plays a vital role in keeping people safe both at home and abroad.

Improving the cyber security of our international partners is vital to the preservation of the rules-based international system and so detecting, disrupting and deterring cyber threats across the globe has been central to the CSSF’s work.

Other significant areas of spending included projects in Eastern Europe and Central Asia which accounted for around 14% of CSSF funding (£119.28 million) and projects in Sub-Saharan Africa which accounted for almost 12% of CSSF funding (£98.57 million). In Sub-Saharan Africa the CSSF’s investment has tackled the threat of violent extremists by working with counter terror organisations.

The CSSF also manages the UK government’s funding of peacekeeping operations and deployments and manages the Rapid Response Mechanism with peacekeeping efforts accounting for more than a third (36%) of its spending (£301.8 million).

In March 2023, as part of the Integrated Review Refresh, the Prime Minister announced the CSSF would transform into a new fund: the Integrated Security Fund (ISF) from April 2024. The CSSF’s transition into the ISF will link up our domestic and overseas security to strengthen our ability to export world-leading expertise to international partners so we can tackle global challenges such as smuggling, illicit finances and large-scale migration.

The Cabinet Office-led CSSF brings together several government departments, including the FCDO, Home Office and Ministry of Defence. The FCDO was the single biggest spender of CSSF funding the 2022 to 2023 financial year; it accounted for 81.7% of total spend (£678.27 million).

The press release issued by Cabinet Office on 17 January 2024.

New official portrait of The King in Naval uniform taken at Windsor Castle last year.

The Cabinet Office has released a new official portrait of His Majesty The King that will soon hang in public buildings the length and breadth of the United Kingdom.

The portrait, taken at Windsor Castle last year by photographer Hugo Burnand shows His Majesty wearing a Royal Navy uniform of an Admiral of the Fleet and official medals and decorations.

A copy of the portrait is being offered to public authorities across the United Kingdom free-of-charge as part of a scheme to celebrate the new reign.

Applications are open for eligible institutions – including principal Local Authorities, courts, schools, police forces and fire and rescue services – to apply for the new portrait under the scheme. In February, the scheme will be extended to include town, parish and community councils and Ministry of Defence-sponsored cadet forces.

Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden said:

The accession of His Majesty The King marked a new chapter in our national story.

Displaying this new portrait will serve as a reminder to us all of the example set by our ultimate public servant and I hope as many eligible organisations as possible will wish to continue this proud British tradition and honour our King’s reign.

His Majesty’s accession has marked the beginning of a new reign and the UK Government considers it right that public authorities, as part of the fabric of our nation, have the opportunity to commemorate this moment, strengthen civil pride and reflect the new era in our history.

Official portraits of Queen Elizabeth II are currently on display in many public institutions, and the offering of the new official portrait of His Majesty will enable organisations across the UK to carry on that tradition.

The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 17 January 2024.

A new partnership between Japan and the UK will strengthen the UKs strategic approach to cyber.

The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 16 January 2024.

On 16 January the United States and the United Kingdom announced a Strategic Dialogue on Biological Security.

The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 29 December 2023.

The Scottish Secretary has congratulated the many people from across Scottish society who have been recognised in the New Year Honours List published today.

Speaking as King Charles’ New Year Honours were announced, Scottish Secretary Alister Jack said:

My warmest congratulations go to all the Scottish recipients of the King’s New Year Honours. Scots are well represented in His Majesty’s list, which showcases the best of Scottish talent – including sport, the arts, community, education, business, charity, policing and healthcare.

Scottish rugby centurion Stuart Hogg, who announced his retirement earlier this year, is rightly celebrated [MBE] for his services to the game. Former Scotland rugby captain Rob Wainwright is also honoured [OBE] for his extraordinary work raising money for research into motor neurone disease through the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation. From the world of football, former player and Scotland, Rangers, Hibs and Motherwell manager Alex McLeish is recognised [OBE] for his services to charity.

I welcome best-selling author Alexander McCall Smith being knighted for services to literature, academia and to charity. And much loved star of BBC comedy Two Doors Down, Arabella Weir, has been rightly recognised [MBE] for her work with the arts and young people, not least through the Kirkcaldy Festival of Ideas.

And it’s poignant that just days after the 35th anniversary of the Lockerbie atrocity a leading police officer in the investigation, Stuart Cossar, is recognised [MBE] for his services to the inquiry and bereaved families.

This year, more than 100 Scots have been awarded honours. The achievements of such a diverse number of our fellow Scots is truly inspiring.

The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 29 December 2023.

The New Year Honours List 2024 recognises selfless service to others from individuals across the UK.

More than 1,200 recipients have been awarded for their exceptional achievements, with a focus on those who have given with generosity to others in need.

Individuals have been recognised for being dedicated community champions, role models in sport, pioneers in the arts, passionate health workers, and supporters of young people.

The Prime Minister is committed to ensuring that honours are awarded to people across the whole of the UK, so that the honours system captures and celebrates the fantastic contribution of people throughout the country.

Anyone can nominate someone for an honour. If you know someone who has achieved fantastic things worthy of recognition, go to https://www.gov.uk/honours to find out more about how you can put them forward.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said:

The New Year Honours List recognises the exceptional achievements of people across the country and those who have shown the highest commitment to selflessness and compassion.

To all honourees, you are the pride of this country and an inspiration to us all.

Deputy Prime Minister, Rt Hon. Oliver Dowden CBE MP, said:

This year’s New Year Honours List celebrates the most selfless, compassionate people in the UK. I send them all my warmest congratulations for what they have achieved.

Our historic honours system exists to recognise these people and shine a light on their heroic contributions and achievements.

I hope that the inspiring stories from across the whole of the UK encourage more people to nominate others for an honour in future.

Community

Sarah Graham has been awarded an MBE for services to Ukrainian refugees. Based in Buckinghamshire, Sarah has brought together over 50 host families and 155 volunteers across a number of villages through her organisation, Hilltops Ukrainian Support Community.

Jacqueline Savage from County Durham has been awarded an MBE for services to social care. She has worked in children’s education, children’s social care and adult social care for the last 30 years. She draws on her own experiences of having a neurological condition to develop staff to ensure that people accessing adult social care receive care of a high standard.

Elizabeth Hall from Kent has been awarded an MBE for services to tackling hygiene poverty. She is the founder of The Hygiene Bank which, during the pandemic, delivered over £300,000 worth of donations. It currently has over 154 active local projects, roughly 2,000 community partners and leads more than 479 volunteers.

Dr John Morrison (Morris) Brown has been awarded a BEM for services to the community in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. He was instrumental in setting up the Castlederg Patient Comfort and Terminally Ill Fund which has raised more than £500,000 to date and supported around 600 local people and families.

Felicity Dahl has been awarded a DBE for services to philanthropy, to literature and to young people. She set up Roald Dahl’s Marvellous Children’s Charity in 1991 in memory of Roald Dahl. The charity works in partnership with the NHS to provide specialist nurses and support for seriously ill children living with complex, lifelong conditions.

Young people

Tony Hudgell is this year’s youngest recipient. At 9 years old, he has been awarded a BEM for services to the prevention of child abuse. He has raised over £1.8m for the hospital that saved his life after he suffered horrific abuse as a baby. Along with his adoptive mother, he founded the Tony Hudgell Foundation in 2021 to support and help vulnerable children, and has also inspired an English law change to increase prison sentences for those convicted of child cruelty and neglect.

Camilla Bowry has been awarded an OBE for services to charity. Camilla is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Sal’s Shoes, based in Surrey, which donates school shoes to children in need. As of November 2021, she had collected over 2,750,000 pairs of shoes and donated them to 52 countries.

Carole Richardson has been awarded an MBE for services to young people. Based in Angus, Scotland, Carole joined the Board of Rossie Young People’s Trust which provides residential care, education, health and psychological services to vulnerable and troubled young people in the UK. Over 650 young people have lived at Rossie since Carole’s involvement.

Ian Russell has been awarded an MBE for services to child safety online. Since Ian’s daughter, Molly, took her own life as a result of harmful content online, Ian has set-up a charitable foundation in her memory. He has also contributed to the establishment of the Online Safety Bill.

Amanda Chadwick from Greater Manchester is the Founder and Trustee of Pyjama Fairies and has been awarded an MBE for services to children in hospital. The charity has given over 50,000 handmade pyjamas to children in across 150 hospitals.

Health

Lynne Kelly, based in South Glamorgan, Wales, is Chair and Trustee of Haemophilia Wales and has been awarded a CBE for services to people with haemophilia. Lynne was pivotal to the campaign to produce safe recombinant factor VIII and IX concentrates for treatment of haemophilia in Wales, which was the first country in the world to do so.

Jahangir Alom has been awarded a BEM for services to tackling health inequalities, particularly during COVID-19. His efforts helped build public trust in the national vaccination programme and raise awareness of the experiences of ethnic minorities. He also works at Selfless UK, a charity which alleviates poverty in rural Bangladesh.

Dr Fenella Wrigley, Chief Medical Officer and Deputy Chief Executive for the London Ambulance Service NHS Trust, has been awarded an MBE for services to the NHS. In 2019, she led a collaborative health system which saw Emergency Department conveyance safely reduced by 8% and 70% of mental health patients managed nearer home.

Sport

Bronwin Carter from Hampshire is a Paralympic coach who has been awarded a BEM for her services to sport. She has dedicated 30 years to voluntary service in sports at all levels including coaching at the Paralympics. She was 11 times Weightlifting World Champion and 11 times Weightlifting European Champion. She is based in Portsmouth, Hampshire.

Robert Christie from Angus, Scotland, is Head Coach at Scotland Paralympic Lawn Bowls Team and has been awarded an MBE for services to lawn bowls. He helped Team Scotland three gold medals at the Commonwealth Games in 2022, and more broadly he has supported people living with a disability to discover and excel in the sport.

David Finlay from County Antrim, Northern Ireland, has been awarded an MBE for services to Olympic wrestling. He was prevented from boxing after losing an eye in childhood, so took up freestyle wrestling. For over 40 years now he has devoted his life to the development of Olympic Freestyle Wrestling and has volunteered his time to prepare athletes and coaches for competition.

For her international excellence, Mary Earps has been awarded an MBE for services to Association Football. Mary plays as goalkeeper for Manchester United in the Women’s Super League and for the England national team. She is now officially the world’s best female goalkeeper.

Sir Bill Beaumont has been recognised with the Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire for services to rugby union football and to charity. He has dedicated, and continues to dedicate, his life to the sport of rugby. As well as being a decorated player himself, as Chairman of World Rugby he has led the introduction of governance reforms and measures to improve gender balance within World Rugby governance.

Arts

Michael Eavis, founder and leader of Glastonbury Festival, has been recognised with a knighthood for services to music and charity. The Festival contributes more than £2 million to charities and good causes each festival year.

Author Kate Mosse has been awarded a CBE for services to literature, to women and to charity. She is a champion of diversity and female equality. The Women’s Prize for Fiction, of which she is a co-founder, is now one of the biggest literary prizes in the world.

Stuart Murphy has been awarded a CBE for services to opera. Under his leadership during the pandemic, the English National Opera manufactured scrubs for NHS staff and initiated a clinical recovery programme for COVID-19 survivors.

Finally, Dame Shirley Bassey DBE becomes the 64th living member of the Order of the Companion of Honour in recognition of her services to music. This is in recognition of Dame Shirley’s remarkable career which has seen her sell more than 135 million records.

The honours system strives to be inclusive of all of the UK society. Of the 1,227 people who receive an award:

• 1,073 candidates have been selected at BEM, MBE and OBE level:
  • 377 at BEM
  • 460 at MBE
  • 236 at OBE
• 811 (66%) of the recipients are people who have undertaken outstanding work in their communities either in a voluntary or paid capacity;
• 770 (63.4%) of the recipients live outside of London and the South East
• 588 women are recognised in the List, representing 48% of the total:
  • 42.2% of recipients at CBE level and above are women;
• 13.8% of the successful candidates come from an ethnic minority background:
  • 7.4% of recipients are from an Asian ethnic group;
  • 4.8% of recipients are from a black ethnic group;
  • 0.8% of recipients with a mixed ethnic background;
  • 0.6% of recipients come from another ethnic background;

The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 21 December 2023.

New figures, published today in the Government Estate Annual Data Publication, confirm £1.1 billion of property sales have been achieved in the past year.

• A new report confirming the size, value, and cost of Government properties in 2022/23 has been published
• In the first year there were 306 property disposals, from 8 departments, generating a combined total of £1.1 billion
• Government is on track to meeting its target of achieving £1.5 billion in property disposals by 2025, as outlined in the Government Property Strategy

£1.1 billion has been generated over the course of the last year, through a major drive to make more efficient use of Government land and buildings.

New figures, published today in the Government Estate Annual Data Publication, confirm £1.1 billion of property sales have been achieved in the past year, meaning more than two thirds of the three-year target has been delivered in the first twelve months.

Cabinet Office Minister Alex Burghart said:

We want to make government more efficient in all areas as we change this country for the better, and today’s report shows the public estate is playing its part.

We’re clear we want to see a smaller, better, and greener public estate and we want to use public property to stimulate economic growth and create opportunities for jobs and regeneration.

Those were the principles we built our Government Property Strategy around and I am pleased we have made such impressive progress in just the first year.

The actions the Government is taking to deliver these efficiencies include its work to consolidate how many buildings public services are provided from – creating multi-department, integrated buildings and offices.

Government land and property is only disposed of when it is no longer needed to support public service delivery, or where there is an opportunity to make better use of the property for regeneration such as residential or commercial developments.

Over the period covered by this report, there were 180 land disposals that raised £222.2m. The majority of these land disposals were made by Homes England, who sold 112 land assets, accounting for approximately 500 hectares. The land sold by Homes England is expected to unlock development opportunities for over 5,000 houses and facilitate regeneration projects across the UK.

The Ministry of Defence disposed of 24 assets over the course of the year, raising £65.1m. In addition, NHS Trusts sold 21 sites that raised £34.3m, and NHS Property Services disposed of 5 five secondary health care sites which raised an additional £4.6m.

This report is a precursor to the annual State of the Estate Report, which provides the full picture of the size, makeup, value, and performance of the public estate. The State of the Estate report will be published in early 2024, as per the usual schedule.

The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 13 December 2023.

Doug Chalmers has been appointed as chair of the independent Committee on Standards in Public Life.

Lieutenant General (Retired) Doug Chalmers CB DSO OBE has been appointed as Chair of the independent Committee on Standards in Public Life (CSPL) following pre-appointment scrutiny by the House of Commons’ Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee.

He takes over from Lord (Jonathan) Evans who completed a five-year term.

Doug began his career in the British Army in 1984 as a Private Soldier. He served in the Army for 37 years.  Over that time, he was stationed in England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Germany, Cyprus and the United States, deploying frequently on operations. His final appointment was as the Deputy Chief of Defence Staff (Military Strategy and Operations), an office he held from 2018 to 2021. He is currently the Master of Emmanuel College, Cambridge and sits on the management board for the University’s Centre for Geopolitics. He is also the Colonel Commandant of the British Army’s Queen’s Division.

Doug Chalmers said:

“I am honoured to be appointed as the new Chair of the Committee on Standards in Public life. Over its nearly 29 years the Committee has an established a strong reputation for providing considered and well researched advice to the Prime Minister on how the standards landscape across public life might evolve. That advice has helped establish many of the standards bodies we see today.

“My time in uniformed service taught me the importance of standards in ensuring sound judgement, behaviour and the building of both trust and confidence. Those years also demonstrated to me that maintaining standards requires active leadership. They also highlighted to me that and that what we mean by standards needs to be constantly discussed and the mechanisms that support them regularly reviewed.

“My current role at Emmanuel College has given me a wider understanding of excellent academic research available in this area. It has provided me with a feel for the perceptions of the next generation about what standards in public life mean to them.

“I will do my best to sustain the quality of the Committee’s work promoting the Nolan Principles across all sectors of public life and look forward to working with the members as we consider the next area for review.”

Doug Chalmers was appointed by the Prime Minister following an open competition under the Cabinet Office Governance Code for Public Appointments. His appointment is for a five-year, non-renewable term and he will take up the role from 12 December.

Notes to Editors

1. Interview requests and media enquiries about the work of the Committee should go to Maggie O’Boyle on 07880 740627.
2. The independent Committee on Standards in Public Life was established by John Major in 1994 to advise the Prime Minister on ethical standards of public life. It advises the Prime Minister on arrangements for upholding ethical standards of conduct across public life in England and promotes the Seven Principles of Public Life, also known as the Nolan principles. The Committee does not investigate individual allegations of misconduct.
3. The current members of the Committee are: Lieutenant General (Retired) Doug Chalmers CB DSO OBE (Chair) Rt Hon Lady Mary Arden DBE, Rt Hon Dame Margaret Beckett DBE MP (Labour), Rt Hon Ian Blackford MP (SNP) Ewen Fergusson, Baroness Simone Finn (Conservative) and Professor Gillian Peele. The Cabinet Office is completing an open competition to fill the vacancy for an independent member on the Committee.